Just days before his 60th birthday, well-known Winnipeg pastor Leon Fontaine has died, according to his church.

Springs Church announced to its congregants on Sunday morning that Fontaine died on Saturday. He would have turned 60 years old on November 25,  according to an online biography.

Not many details are known at this time, but several congregants have confirmed the news to CHVN. They say his children made a video to announce the news to the church. Fontaine was in Calgary with his family at the time of his death.

Congregants say on Friday the church had sent out a message asking congregants to pray for a miracle for something that was ailing the pastor. However, they say, he passed on Saturday.

Fontaine and his wife Sally became the lead pastors of Springs in Winnipeg in 1994. The congregation saw explosive growth over the years, something the church's website attributes to the couple's "significant love for others."

Today the church has two sites in Winnipeg and another in Calgary, with thousands of people attending its worship gatherings. The church used to hold services in Steinbach at their site on Chapel Drive.

The Fontaines have five children and five grandchildren according to an online biography.

More to come